写作方法2015news.ycombinator.com编辑精选
Ask HN：关于写文章，你能给我一些建议吗？
Ask HN: Can you give me some advice on writing essays?
导读
这是一篇 HN 求助帖：作者读得多、觉得自己知道不少，但一坐下写文章就脑子空白，既怕对懂少的人讲太浅，又怕对 HN/LessWrong 的聪明人讲已知。高赞回复指出，选题应来自日常观察，好文章是做实事的副产品，卡点常是害怕被评判，并建议明确文章的价值主张和单篇论点。对写作者的价值在于：它把“知道很多却写不出”拆成可操作的选题、心态和结构问题。
可以直接用的写作要点
- 01
不要等坐到键盘前才找选题；在日常互动中捕捉让你困惑、烦躁或反复出现的念头，随手记录。
- 02
把写作当成做具体有趣工作的副产品：先推进你真正关心的问题，再回头描述它，文字会更顺。
- 03
若卡点是怕被评判，先选一个哪怕“太简单”的题目，每天写300字，用练习积累想法和表达。
- 04
动笔前明确整套文章的价值主张和单篇核心论点，为自己写但心中有读者，避免跑题。
HN 评论精选
选题来自日常互动中的观察和反复出现的痒点，随时记录。
选题不该在坐下写时才想，而应在与世互动时想。那里你会产生洞察、遇到非解决不可的痒点、冒出问题——为什么某件事让你不协调、为什么某件事让你烦。运气好你会做出别人没做过的东西；即使别人做过，也有东西让你以你的方式做出来。这些自我观察一出现就记下（便签或随身笔记本），可成为文章前提。也许95%是垃圾，归档或写日记，看是否再次出现；若反复出现，说明有戏。剩下5%可能自己写出来。对我来说，文章就是把不同领域的想法连接起来。简版：坐键盘前无话可说，就离开键盘去观察世界，很快治愈。
firebones查看英文原文
The time to think of topics is not when you sit down to write--it's when you're busy interacting with the world. There, you're going to have insights. You're going to encounter itches you need to scratch. You're going to find questions that pop up--why you're feeling out of sync with something, why you're annoyed by something. With luck, you're going to create things that no one else has created. And even if someone else has created it, something led you to create it in the way you did. All of these observations of self can be noted when they occur, and they can form the premise for an essay. Use a sticky, or carry a Field Notes notebook. Stop and capture them. Maybe 95% of them will be garbage. File them away--maybe journal them. See if they come up again. If they do, then you're onto something. The other 5% may write themselves. For me, essays are about connecting ideas from disparate domains. Short version: if you have nothing to say when you sit down at the keyboard, then get up from the keyboard and interact with the world around you, and observe. You'll be cured in no time.
好文章是扎实有趣工作的副产品；先做事，再描述。
作为在 LessWrong 写过不少受欢迎文章的人，我觉得你角度不对：好文章不应是目标，而应是做有趣智力工作的副产品。比如有人写聊天机器人通过 IRC 催眠人、有人用比特币卖毒品、有人曝光毒枭、有人赢 AI-box 实验、有人独立发明加密货币；我自己最成功的文章是研究决策论数学的副产品。Eliezer 的文章也是探索友好 AI 的副产品，不是“今天想写点有趣东西”。所以别琢磨该写哪个显而易见的话题，先做你真正感兴趣的新工作；事后描述它时，文字会容易得多。
cousin_it查看英文原文
Speaking as someone who has written many well-received essays on LessWrong, I feel like you're approaching the problem from the wrong angle. IMO writing a good essay shouldn't be a goal, it has to be a side effect of doing interesting intellectual work. For example, there's someone on LW who wrote a chatbot that successfully hypnotizes people over IRC. Would you read an essay about that? You bet you would! There's also someone who sold drugs for bitcoin, and someone who doxxed drug lords, and someone who won AI-box experiments, and someone who independently invented cryptocurrency... My own most successful essays on LW came as as a side effect of my work on decision theory math, which had other nice effects as well (like being invited to speak at conferences). Even Eliezer's essays were a side effect of his attempts to figure out friendly AI, rather than "hmm I want to write something interesting today". So, instead of mulling over which obvious thing you'd like to write about, try to do some novel work that interests you on its own terms! When you try to describe it afterward, I promise you the words will come much easier.
卡点是害怕被评判；从简单题目开始每天写，靠练习积累。
这更像害怕被评判，我也有同感。你觉得“太简单/同辈会评判”，但现实中你仰望的人未必注意你，而且远更多人会觉得你有价值。朋友写第三本小说，第一本花了13年，但期间大量写作；多数人不是一开始就写得好，靠练习。先选一个哪怕觉得太简单的题目，写300字，明天继续，写作会进步，想法会多到没时间。
iamben查看英文原文
This sounds less like a problem with writing essays and more with a fear of being judged - I know, because I have the same problem. "I don't have anything to say to people who know less than me, because explaining obvious things seems boring [...] I feel like they are smarter than me and already know everything I am about to say" I've suffered from this for years. 'That idea sounds stupid - it's far too simple', or 'if I write this / make this my peers will judge me'. When the reality, the people you look up to probably aren't looking at you, and there are far, far more people who, despite you thinking something is obvious, will find value in your work. Reading HN (and similar) we're exposed to some incredible people - those at the top of their game. Because you or I am not that person doesn't mean that what we write doesn't have value to someone. My friend has recently published his third novel. It's quite good. He started writing when we lived together at university 15 years. I used to read his short stories back then. It took him 13 years to publish his first book. But he wrote voraciously in the meantime. Most of us don't start great - it comes with practice. Basically what I'm saying, is pick a topic - even one you consider too simple - and get started. Write 300 words. Then do the same tomorrow. Then the next day. Your writing will improve, you'll read more, research more, learn more - and new ideas will come to the point where you'll have more ideas than time. Like the writing itself, it comes with practice. And those 'obvious' topics you start with - they'll undoubtedly benefit someone in the long run.
明确整套文章的价值主张和单篇论点，先为自己写但心中有读者。
你可能缺的是整体写作的价值主张（这组文章给读者什么）和每篇的核心论点。可用模板：“我的文章帮助___学习/成为/做到___。”然后想你要服务的人，以及他们喝酒聊天时会问你的问题；也可用触发问题：行业里你犯过或见过的错误、最常见的坏建议。早期写作主要是打磨思考，别太担心有没有人读；先为自己写，但心中有读者以免跑题。
robfitz查看英文原文
> It's like I'm missing some key element necessary to just start writing things. You're probably missing the value proposition of your writing in general (what is your set of essays giving to the people who read it), and the thesis of each post in particular. For the VP I use: "My essays all about helping _________ learn/be/do/become ___________." Once you've got that value prop, you can get specific ideas by thinking about the type of person you're serving (the first blank) and thinking about the sort of questions that person asks you over a beer when you're hanging out with them. Or you can use trigger questions like: * Mistakes you've made or seen in this industry * Most common bad advice in this industry Etc etc. I made a little interactive version of this process at http://whattowrite.org (it's a free and unsupported old hobby project, but it works all right). Good luck. In the early days, essays/blogging are more about refining what you think, so don't worry too much about whether or not people read it. Write for you first (but with a reader in mind so you don't wander all over the place).
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